A Study of the Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale for Alcohol-Dependent Patients

OBJECTIVE: The Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS) is a stronger predictor of subsequent drinking and relapse of alcohol dependence that can be administered more quickly and easily than other craving scales. The goal of this study was to develop the Korean version of the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS-K). METHODS: To examine the psychometric properties of the PACS-K, responses were chosen from 80 patients admitted to a treatment facility for alcohol dependence. RESULTS: The PACS-K possesses good psychometric properties, as assessed by Cronbach's α estimates (Cronbach's α=0.91). The test-retest reliability of the PACS-K showed high correlation (p<0.01) when the retest interval was 1 day. When the validity of the PACS-K was investigated using correlation analysis with two other craving scales (the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), high correlations were obtained between total PACS scores and total OCDS scores, and between total PACS scores and VAS scores (p<0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: The PACS-K is a reliable and valid measure of alcohol cravings, and it could be useful for predicting which individuals are at risk for subsequent relapse.